The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
Sometimes change goes the wrong way. Magazine layout people are always looking to change stuff to validate their existence. I know. I was there.
From an eye doctor's perspective (my current job), reducing the gloss is a good idea. I don't really see that (average illumination incandescent lighting) when I a/b December and February, but a good idea nevertheless. You might want to consider giving up the white-on-black text areas or, if you insist, avoid the use of serif and small fonts there. Your readers with uncorrected astigmatism or contrast sensitivity issues have problems with the reverse text and squigglies.
While on the subject of fonts, you really blew it there. At least in part. A lot of the text is indeed easier to visually process. But some of it is more than a strain. Outright bad. The masthead page, for example, in the old format was clear and easy to read. Now it's all tekkie and weird. Similar concerns flow onto other pages. The contents pages layout is likewise a step in wrong direction.
Now, from a photographer's perspective (avocation), some gloss is good. Thick is good. For text, it's the reverse. I understand that's a tricky issue to work with and wish you luck with that. I would lean towards text readability and use contrast and layout techniques to enhance the photo work.
Thanks for reducing the fall-out cards and the glued-in materials in the Feb issue. If you must use glued-ins, can you find a way to make them easy to remove so as to not mangle the surrounding pages? I try to bring the preceding month's mag to my office and, as you might imagine, some of those readers have vision (and dexterity) issues. At least until I fix 'em.
Finally, the logo. The new one, new font, moved to justify top and side of cover looks great! Overall, I really, really enjoy the mag as I have since inception. You do a great job of integrating tech, social and political content. And I appreciate the challenges in doing what you do each and every month. Which is why I have another job. Thanks to all of you for doing what you do!
Larry BickfordSanta Babara, CA
